Getting SSI Disability Benefits for Your Child

The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability benefits for children primarily through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Children younger than 18 can qualify for SSI disability benefits if they have a long-term physical or mental impairment that causes severe functional limitations—such as difficulties with learning, mobility, or self-care—and their families meet the program’s strict income and asset limits.

When determining a child’s eligibility for SSI disability, Social Security accounts for the fact that diseases and impairments can have very different effects on children and adults. So, although your child’s disability application process will be similar to the process for an adult, the criteria needed to win a child’s claim are a bit different. Below, we explain how Social Security evaluates whether a child has a qualifying disability and how financial eligibility works for child applicants.

How Much Does a Disabled Child Get From Social Security?

The maximum SSI disability benefit for a child in 2026 is $994 per month—the same as for an adult. But your child’s benefit amount could be lower or higher than this amount, depending on several factors, like:

• whether the child has countable income (like wages from a job)
• how much income the family has, and
• the child’s living situation.

Social Security considers these factors because SSI is a needs-based program for people with limited income and resources.

Even with these adjustments, the average monthly SSI benefit for a child is higher than the average adult SSI payment—about $872 in 2026 for disabled children, compared with $785 for disabled adults ages 18–64. (Monthly Statistical Snapshot, SSA, January 2026.)

One reason children’s SSI payments can be higher is that they usually don’t have income of their own, while many adults receiving SSI do. In addition, children generally aren’t subject to the one-third reduction rule for "in-kind income" when they live with their parents, even though their parents provide food and housing. (A reduction could apply if the parents themselves are receiving free food and shelter from someone else.)

But the situation will change when a child turns 18. Once a child becomes an adult for SSI purposes, the Social Security Administration can apply the in-kind income reduction rules if the person continues living in the same household and receives food and shelter from others. As a result, some young adults see their SSI payments drop after their 18th birthday, even if their living situation hasn’t changed.

Your child’s SSI payment could also increase in some cases. For example, some states provide optional state supplementary (OSS) benefits in addition to SSI. These payments can range from a few extra dollars to several hundred dollars per month. (All states except Arizona, Mississippi, North Dakota, and West Virginia provide some type of optional state supplement.)

Receiving supplemental SSI payments from the state generally won’t affect SSI eligibility. But a parent’s income and assets could.

What Are the Income and Asset Limits for Children to Get SSI?

SSI is designed to offer financial help to people with very low incomes. As such, children must live in households that meet the SSI income and resource limits to qualify for this benefit.

When determining financial eligibility, Social Security will consider both the income and resources of the child and those of the family members the child lives with. If your child lives at home with you, your child won’t be able to collect SSI if you (and your spouse) make above a certain amount of money.

Not all of a family's income is counted; Social Security will only "deem" a portion of the household income as belonging to the child. (Learn more about family income deeming for a child applying for SSI.)

Even if your minor child doesn’t live at home most of the time (say the child spends most of their time away at school), Social Security might still consider your income and resources if your child:

• comes home periodically, and
• is under your care when at home.

Does Your Child Meet the Medical Eligibility Requirements for SSI?

Once the income requirements are met, your child must meet the medical eligibility requirements of SSI to be considered for benefits. To qualify, all of the following must be true:

• The child has "marked and severe" functional limitations. The limitations must severely interfere with your child's ability to function at the level of other children of the same age.
• Your child has been disabled for the past 12 months, is expected to be disabled for at least 12 months, or has a terminal medical condition.
• Your child isn’t working and earning more than $1,690 per month.

Social Security then decides whether or not the child's functional limitations are severe enough to move forward into a full disability determination. For example, let’s suppose you apply for disability benefits for your child who has a learning disability, but your child performs at or near grade level. Social Security might not consider your child’s learning disability a severe limitation and could deny your child benefits early on in the decision-making process.

How Does Social Security Determine If Your Child Is Disabled?

Social Security’s full disability determination of your child will involve a two-step process. Social Security must:

• compare your child's condition to its childhood disability listings, and
• assess your child's limitations.

Does Your Child’s Impairment Meet a Disability Listing?

Social Security’s listing of impairments (called the Blue Book) covers conditions that the SSA considers severe enough to be automatically disabling. If your child meets the requirements of a listing, the SSA will automatically qualify your child as disabled.

Part A of the Blue Book was created for adults and covers conditions that affect adults. Part B of the Blue Book has separate disability listings for children. Often the criteria are the same as in the adult listings, but sometimes the criteria are easier to meet in the child listings than in the adult listings.

Common listings for physical conditions. Some of the physical disabilities in the listings that affect children the most include:

• juvenile diabetes
• epilepsy
• asthma
• hearing impairment, and
• premature birth.

For more information, see our list of children's physical disabilities.

Common listings for mental disabilities. Some of the most common cognitive and behavioral conditions for children include:

• autism (including Asperger’s syndrome)
• ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and
• learning disabilities.

Learn more by going to our list of children's mental, developmental, and cognitive conditions.

Are Your Child’s Functional Limitations Marked and Severe?

If your child's medical condition doesn’t meet the requirements of a disability listing, your child might still be found disabled if Social Security finds the child’s functional limitations "marked and severe." The limitations must severely affect your child's ability to function on a daily basis.

Specifically, your child must have an extreme limitation in one area of functioning or serious limitations in two areas of functioning. The areas of functioning (called "domains") that Social Security looks at include learning, finishing tasks, interacting socially, and getting around and moving objects.

Examples of children with extreme functional limitations include:

• a 10-year-old boy who can’t dress or bathe himself, and
• a school-age child who needs two crutches or a walker to walk.

Examples of serious functional limitations (depending on the child's age) might include:

• being easily distracted by sounds or movements
• being afraid of meeting other children, and
• having trouble following two-step instructions.

Learn more about how children's conditions can functionally equal the listings.

What Medical Evidence Do You Need to Prove Your Child Has a Disability?

You’ll need a good deal of evidence to prove that your child meets or equals a disability listing or has functional limitations that are marked and severe. Depending on the impairment, medical evidence requirements can range from a doctor's observations to lab tests.

Your child’s medical reports should compare the child's functional abilities to those of other children of the same age who don’t have impairments. The SSA will compare your child’s ability to:

• learn and use information
• complete tasks
• interact appropriately with others
• walk and use their hands, and
• take care of themselves.

Social Security will also consider school records and reports in determining your child's level of impairment.

If more medical information is needed, Social Security might ask that your child have a medical examination or have additional tests done. The SSA will cover the costs of these “consultative exams” (CEs). If your child is selected for a CE, Social Security will send your child to a medical doctor (MD) to perform a physical exam, and for mental exams, the agency will send your child to a psychologist or psychiatrist (depending on the impairment).

For more information, see our section on consultative medical exams.

How Long Does It Take Social Security to Decide If a Child Is Disabled?

No one wants to wait for Social Security to decide if their child is disabled enough to qualify for SSI benefits. The financial strain on your family can be enormous. But generally, it takes four to six months for Social Security to make a determination in a child’s SSI claim.

However, there are some conditions that qualify for immediate benefits. If your child has one of these conditions, disability payments can start immediately and last up to six months while your child’s case is being decided. Social Security calls this "presumptive disability." Some of the conditions that qualify include:

• total blindness
• total deafness
• Down syndrome
• low birth weight
• cerebral palsy, and
• muscular dystrophy.

For more information, see our article on presumptive disability.

Can a Child Get SSDI Benefits?

Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits are for adults with disabilities who’ve worked a certain length of time in jobs where they paid Social Security (FICA) taxes. A child, even if 17 or 18 years old, won’t have worked long enough to be insured under SSDI.

However, if a child's parent has a disability and collects SSDI or Social Security retirement benefits, the child might be able to receive a Social Security child's benefit. And after turning 18, a disabled teen could continue to receive SSDI benefits as a "disabled adult child" based on the parent’s earnings.

Do Children Have to Go Through Continuing Disability Reviews?

Once the SSA determines that your child is disabled and begins paying SSI benefits, your child might be subject to periodic reviews. If your child's condition is expected to improve, these ongoing reviews will usually happen at least once every three years. Even for children whose conditions aren’t expected to improve, disability reviews will still take place, although less frequently. And all children have a "re-determination" when they turn 18 to see if they qualify under the adult definition of disability.

During the review, Social Security will look at your child's current medical condition to see if it’s improving and will look for evidence that your child is getting the necessary medical care for their condition. As long as Social Security continues to consider your child disabled and believes the child is receiving the necessary medical care, your child will continue to get SSI benefits.

Read more about Social Security’s continuing disability reviews.